DCC Lab · Digital Twin
NextCell NextCell

Train, validate, and de-risk
on the systems you'll actually use

NextCell is a fully operational digital twin of an ATMP manufacturing facility — every room, every piece of equipment, every workflow. Life-sciences teams use it to practise real GMP processes on the same Q/LIMS environment they'll run in production. Built and operated by DCC, powered with our partner Simploud, hosted in Leiden, NL.

Inside the NextCell digital twin lab
What it is

From "read and understand" to "do and understand"

Most digital transformation programmes ask people to learn new systems from documentation, then trust they'll do the right thing on day one of go-live. That gap is where errors happen, deviations pile up, and qualification slips.

NextCell collapses the gap. It is a working ATMP facility recreated in software — complete room layouts, equipment, sample flows, and a unified Q/LIMS environment configured the same way a real production site would be configured. Teams see, touch, and train on the very systems they'll use, in workflows that mirror what GMP demands of them.

It is GxP-ready. It is hands-on. It runs every day.

NextCell lab — workstation view
NextCell lab — equipment and process flow
Workflows

What you can do in the lab

Six end-to-end workflows, each grounded in real GMP practice. Run them as training, as a sandbox for validation, or as a pilot before committing to a production deployment.

Batch Records

Run electronic batch manufacturing records end to end — from process parameters and material lot tracking to in-process checks and review/release. Practise the same review-by-exception flow operators use on the floor.

Environmental Monitoring

Generate, sample and trend EMS/BMS data for cleanroom classes, with viable and non-viable monitoring tied to GMP Annex 1 expectations. Investigate excursions in a safe, repeatable way.

Deviation Handling

Open, triage and close deviations against the connected QMS — from immediate impact assessment through CAPA. Train teams on root-cause analysis without risking real product.

Equipment Qualification

Walk through IQ/OQ/PQ for instruments and process equipment exactly as you would on a real qualification campaign. Periodic review and re-qualification cycles included.

Sample & Result Lifecycle

Log samples, schedule analyses, capture results, and release against specifications in the unified LIMS. The same lifecycle a QC analyst executes daily, without the contamination risk.

Computer System Validation

Use the lab as a sandbox for validating new configurations, custom forms, or integrations — generate the IQ/OQ evidence you'll need for your production deployment.

Who it's for

Built for the people closest to the process

QA & Quality Engineering

Practise four-eyes review, batch release, and deviation/CAPA workflows on real systems.

Manufacturing Operators

Familiarise with the digital tooling before going live — reduces error rates and accelerates qualification.

Validation Teams

Author and execute IQ/OQ/PQ protocols against the same Q/LIMS configuration you'll deploy.

IT & Digital Programme Leads

De-risk transformation programmes by piloting workflows, integrations, and reports before production.

How it's built

A real platform, not a slide deck

NextCell runs on the same software stack DCC deploys for production clients. The Q/LIMS layer is built with our partner Simploud, configured for ATMP processes, and wired into simulated EMS/BMS, equipment, and operator interfaces. Nothing is mocked.

The lab is hosted at our Leiden office and operated by DCC consultants who deliver the same systems for real manufacturing sites. When you visit, you talk to the people who built it.

Partners & stack
Simploud
Q/LIMS technology partner for ATMP workflows
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Simploud Q/LIMS — quality and laboratory information management, configured for ATMP workflows
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EMS / BMS simulation — environmental and building monitoring tied to cleanroom classifications
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DCC architecture & operations — built, validated, and run by senior practitioners
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Hosted in Leiden, NL — visit by appointment

Book a visit

Bring your team for a half-day walkthrough of the lab. We'll show you the workflows you'd run in production, talk through your transformation programme, and explore where NextCell can de-risk it.